Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[generaldsherman]

My 7 month old Japanese bantam decided to go broody. Is she too young to trust? I want to test her out, so gave her a couple eggs from my incubator that I won't miss if they do not hatch. She has been at it since yesterday afternoon, starting with two ceramic eggs that she sat on for 3 hours before i switched her out. Also, she is in the coop with my other birds, but I only have 5 pullets and only 1 other is laying, and she uses the other nesting box. She should be ok in the second box then right?

This particular chicken has been trying to go broody ever since she started laying. I caught her in the back of the run a week after she started laying sitting on two eggs; I stole them and made her move since I don't have a rooster.

 

[fisherlady]

My 7 month old Japanese bantam decided to go broody. Is she too young to trust? I want to test her out, so gave her a couple eggs from my incubator that I won't miss if they do not hatch. She has been at it since yesterday afternoon, starting with two ceramic eggs that she sat on for 3 hours before i switched her out. Also, she is in the coop with my other birds, but I only have 5 pullets and only 1 other is laying, and she uses the other nesting box. She should be ok in the second box then right?
This particular chicken has been trying to go broody ever since she started laying. I caught her in the back of the run a week after she started laying sitting on two eggs; I stole them and made her move since I don't have a rooster.

She will probably do fine, we have had many 6 and 7 month olds brood.
Make sure her eggs are marked (she could steal other eggs laid in other boxes) and watch her closely for signs of fighting over the nest. Many hens who routinely lay in one nest will suddenly decide a broody occupied nest is now a 'perfect' nest and begin conflicts with a broody. Sometimes an older or more experienced broody, or a high pecking order hen, will defend the nest without problem, but more timid hens can be easier to push around. Though going broody can often turn a meek hen into an awesome force to be reckoned with it doesn't happen to every one, so you will have to watch.

 

[horselover1999]

I would move her. My broody was in a nest box for two weeks and the others cracked three eggs while laying their own eggs.

 

[nchls school]

My 7 month old Japanese bantam decided to go broody. Is she too young to trust? Seven months old is not to young to go broody for a Japanese bantam. My serama all have gone broody well before seven months of age. They hatched out chicks, raised them, and are now brooding again and they are seven and a half months old now.I want to test her out, so gave her a couple eggs from my incubator that I won't miss if they do not hatch. She has been at it since yesterday afternoon, starting with two ceramic eggs that she sat on for 3 hours before i switched her out. Also, she is in the coop with my other birds, but I only have 5 pullets and only 1 other is laying, and she uses the other nesting box. She should be ok in the second box then right? Watch her carefully as the others may decide to lay in her nest, as another post says.

This particular chicken has been trying to go broody ever since she started laying. I caught her in the back of the run a week after she started laying sitting on two eggs; I stole them and made her move since I don't have a rooster.

 

[generaldsherman]

She will probably do fine, we have had many 6 and 7 month olds brood.
Make sure her eggs are marked (she could steal other eggs laid in other boxes) and watch her closely for signs of fighting over the nest. Many hens who routinely lay in one nest will suddenly decide a broody occupied nest is now a 'perfect' nest and begin conflicts with a broody. Sometimes an older or more experienced broody, or a high pecking order hen, will defend the nest without problem, but more timid hens can be easier to push around. Though going broody can often turn a meek hen into an awesome force to be reckoned with it doesn't happen to every one, so you will have to watch.

I would move her. My broody was in a nest box for two weeks and the others cracked three eggs while laying their own eggs.

Moved her this morning. She was scared off by my barred rock hen. She's fine now.


Thanks to whoever suggested the blanket. Settled down after a couple hours

 

[OHfarmerswife]

Hey all haven't commented in awhile. These are my new babies that hatched last week.

 

[nchls school]

Thank you for your replies. So I lock them up in the covered run for a few days? Then Let them out with the other hens in a few days. Do they stay in their separate pens at night and not go in the coop or should I leave them in the coop until they are ready to walk down the ramp with their mama. Would this large dog crate in the photo be a good brooder for Mama and babies?

Something a little bigger than the dog crate would do better. If you can watch your birds after the chicks hatch, there may be no reason to separate them from the flock if everyone is getting along. Be careful of edges, ledges, drop offs where the chicks might get separated from the hen.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Howdy all. It's been a long while since I've posted on the broody threads (duplicate posting from broody thread as I have friends on both threads).

My Isbar project was a total bust. The broody hen sat well, but the eggs weren't pipping...If you remember I was about to toss when I heard chirping on day 23 and waited until day 25 and 26 (true dates) and chicks slowly hatched, but were very weak and spindly. I ended up taking them away from the hen and brooding that batch in the house as they were too weak to stay with momma.

In for a penny, in for a pound, so I ended up purchasing some chicks of breeds I wanted from the feedstore...got several Barnevelders, some Gold Stars, and purchased a beautiful scale 7 Splash Marans pullet. Unfortunately the Isbars were never to do well. Ended up loosing one Isbar right off weak from hatch, the second had to cull for slipped hocks at 6 weeks after really working hard to help her grow right, then lost the last to Coccidiosis outbreak, along with a Gold Star, from wacky weather and an unusually unkempt coop due to a family emergency (MIL in for heart procedures and then assisted living which kept me from normal chores for about a month).

So that left me with 1 Gold Star, 2 Barnevelders, and my Splash Marans. I'd hoped for a pair of Barnevelders...ended up with 2 roosters. Humph. Ah well, kept the best of the Barnevelder roos to begin an Olive Egger program...since no blue eggers (lost all those Isbars)...purchased 2 Cream Legbar pullets this fall.

So now the good news....Bernard the Barnevelder is a handsome young rooster who is strutting his stuff and is proving to be fertile...at least to the less dominant hens whom he can catch.

I've got 3 of his fertilized eggs now under my first winter broody....my Queen Mum....and they are developing. Two white eggs and one brown. They are utility California Grey/Barnevelder...which should be sex-linked utility layers (The Cal Greys are wonderful layers...just wish to increase their egg size which the Barnie should do). I think the brown egg is from one of my Rhodebars, which I know he catches the lesser dominant of those (he hasn't convinced my matrons he is of manly enough stuff yet), but it might be from my Wyandotte/Welsummer cross. Either way, I'll have a red laced utility layer from that egg.

So day 4, and the 2 Cal Grey eggs are clearly developing nicely, and I think the brown egg shows development...just harder to see. Good for Bernard.

This is my first experiment with this roo to check for his fertility. As he matures more (he's only 6 months of age), he'll convince the other matrons and I'll start setting some Marans/Barnevelder crosses...also my Cream Legbars should be mature enough to start laying in spring, so I can then begin on that end of the Olive Egger.

I hope to develop:
Red Laced utility layers from Barnevelder/Rhodebar or Gold Star crosses f1
Blue Laced dark egg layers from Barnevelder/Splash Marans (hopefully on the 5 scale)
Black utility sex links from Barnevelder/Cal Greys, likely a light tint egg?
Black/Gold Partridge Olive Eggers from Barnevelder/CCL
...with banding and careful following of chicks....black f2 Olive Egger, darker olive, from my f1 Marans/Isbar (sole hatch from last January) and Barnevelder roo....though I'm not confident in any Isbar blood at this time.

Keeping my fingers crossed on this test batch. My last two hatches were dismal, but they involved Isbar crosses and pure Isbars, and I suspect it was genetic issues in the Isbar line having read that can be an issue. This batch will tell me if something more is amiss with my brooding situation...hopefully not.

Updates to follow

Lady of McCamley

 

[mylittlehippie]

Has anyone used game hens as broodies? How do they compare to Cochins? Will they let you near the babies or are they too protective? Thanks!!

 

[fisherlady]

Howdy all. It's been a long while since I've posted on the broody threads (duplicate posting from broody thread as I have friends on both threads).

My Isbar project was a total bust. The broody hen sat well, but the eggs weren't pipping...If you remember I was about to toss when I heard chirping on day 23 and waited until day 25 and 26 (true dates) and chicks slowly hatched, but were very weak and spindly. I ended up taking them away from the hen and brooding that batch in the house as they were too weak to stay with momma.

In for a penny, in for a pound, so I ended up purchasing some chicks of breeds I wanted from the feedstore...got several Barnevelders, some Gold Stars, and purchased a beautiful scale 7 Splash Marans pullet. Unfortunately the Isbars were never to do well. Ended up loosing one Isbar right off weak from hatch, the second had to cull for slipped hocks at 6 weeks after really working hard to help her grow right, then lost the last to Coccidiosis outbreak, along with a Gold Star, from wacky weather and an unusually unkempt coop due to a family emergency (MIL in for heart procedures and then assisted living which kept me from normal chores for about a month).

So that left me with 1 Gold Star, 2 Barnevelders, and my Splash Marans. I'd hoped for a pair of Barnevelders...ended up with 2 roosters. Humph. Ah well, kept the best of the Barnevelder roos to begin an Olive Egger program...since no blue eggers (lost all those Isbars)...purchased 2 Cream Legbar pullets this fall.

So now the good news....Bernard the Barnevelder is a handsome young rooster who is strutting his stuff and is proving to be fertile...at least to the less dominant hens whom he can catch.

I've got 3 of his fertilized eggs now under my first winter broody....my Queen Mum....and they are developing. Two white eggs and one brown. They are utility California Grey/Barnevelder...which should be sex-linked utility layers (The Cal Greys are wonderful layers...just wish to increase their egg size which the Barnie should do). I think the brown egg is from one of my Rhodebars, which I know he catches the lesser dominant of those (he hasn't convinced my matrons he is of manly enough stuff yet), but it might be from my Wyandotte/Welsummer cross. Either way, I'll have a red laced utility layer from that egg.

So day 4, and the 2 Cal Grey eggs are clearly developing nicely, and I think the brown egg shows development...just harder to see. Good for Bernard.

This is my first experiment with this roo to check for his fertility. As he matures more (he's only 6 months of age), he'll convince the other matrons and I'll start setting some Marans/Barnevelder crosses...also my Cream Legbars should be mature enough to start laying in spring, so I can then begin on that end of the Olive Egger.

I hope to develop:
Red Laced utility layers from Barnevelder/Rhodebar or Gold Star crosses f1
Blue Laced dark egg layers from Barnevelder/Splash Marans (hopefully on the 5 scale)
Black utility sex links from Barnevelder/Cal Greys, likely a light tint egg?
Black/Gold Partridge Olive Eggers from Barnevelder/CCL
...with banding and careful following of chicks....black f2 Olive Egger, darker olive, from my f1 Marans/Isbar (sole hatch from last January) and Barnevelder roo....though I'm not confident in any Isbar blood at this time.

Keeping my fingers crossed on this test batch. My last two hatches were dismal, but they involved Isbar crosses and pure Isbars, and I suspect it was genetic issues in the Isbar line having read that can be an issue. This batch will tell me if something more is amiss with my brooding situation...hopefully not.

Updates to follow

Lady of McCamley

Welcome back! Missed your insights. sorry you've had problems with your projects, but I would expect genetics were the issues, not brooding!